Buccoadhesive Drug Delivery System: A Review

The main aim for the oral delivery of most of the drugs as potential therapeutic agents is their extensive presystemic metabolism, instability in acidic environment resulting into inadequate and erratic oral absorption. Parenteral route of administration is the only established route that overcomes all these drawbacks associated with these orally inefficient drugs. But these formulations are costly, have least patient compliance, require repeated administration, in addition to the other hazardous effects associated with this route. Buccal cavity was found to be the most convenient and easily accessible site for the delivery of therapeutic agents for both local and systemic delivery as retentive dosage forms. Buccoadhesive drug delivery is relatively new drug delivery strategy; in this traditional polymers are replaced by novel bioadhesive polymers such as Thiomers and lectins etc. to overcome limitation of traditional polymer. Buccoadhesive characteristic are factor of both bioadhesive polymer and the medium in which the polymer reside. It is the objective of this article to review buccoadhesive drug delivery by discussing the structure, permeability of buccal mucosa, mechanism of buccoadhesion, novel bioadhesive polymers, buccoadhesive dosage form and their evaluation, recent advances in buccoadhesive drug delivery system.